


the great puzzle

by honeysigh



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Coming Out, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Making Out, Romantic Comedy, Sexual Humor, in loose terms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:08:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25535608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeysigh/pseuds/honeysigh
Summary: Soobin decides, very resolutely, that he doesn’t exactly like when Yeonjun brings other guys home. Which poses two immediate problems:1. Soobin’s irritation mounts as his sleep gets monumentally fucked up due to Yeonjun’s odd FWB schedule.2. He’s not jealous—at least, he doesn’t think so—and so he comes to a chilling conclusion: hemustbe homophobic.(In which Yeonjun and Soobin are roommates. Oh my god, they were roommates.)
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 68
Kudos: 893





	the great puzzle

**Author's Note:**

> this fic was 100% inspired by [this post](https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/straight-guy-worries-hes-homophobic-gay-roommate-ends-falling-love/#gs.37wbsi) of a 'straight guy' honest-to-god thinking he's homophobic for hating the guys his roommate brings home. it's so hysterically stupid that all i had to do was take one look @ yeonbin for me to be like, Yeah. They Would Do This. This is Them.
> 
> also, from a conversation with a friend:  
> `yeonjun complaining to changbin (workout buddy) ab soobin: does he not realize he has a blatant strength kink and is also gay as shit?`
> 
> yeah, soobin. do some goddamn self-reflection like the rest of us.
> 
>  _note_ : there are _light_ discussions of homophobia (obviously, considering the context) but honestly not enough to warrant an actual warning. soobin is just a little dumb, really

The roommate arrangement is loosely defined. Felix, Soobin’s old roommate, moves back to Australia on the eve of mid-semester break beginning, almost as soon as finals week is over, leaving Soobin to worriedly scrabble for new housing plans. And because he, in Beomgyu’s words, is a _bitchass introvert_ —all of his friends already have roommates, and he doesn’t really want to intrude until Yeosang texts him one day about a friend who just lost his roommate too.

`choi yeonjun`, he says. `he’s my age, a few months younger. dancing major. super sweet, really nice, can cook—all that good stuff.`

And truth be told, Soobin doesn’t exactly feel close with Yeosang—he got to know him, and by association his boyfriend, Seonghwa, through Taehyun—because both of them are on the same spectrum of sort-of shy, sort-of quiet, though Yeosang is kind underneath his blunt exterior and had his boyfriend bake a little cake for him on his birthday.

So, yeah. He and Yeosang aren’t very close. Certainly not close enough to warrant Soobin taking Yeosang’s offer so seriously from the get-go, but _listen:_ he’s desperate. And in all honesty, anyone Taehyun associates with is good in his books.

So Soobin says yes, and after an introduction over coffee, Yeonjun moves in with him since his apartment is closer to campus. If he’s being real, his first impression of the older boy is the way his objectively _disgusting_ highlighter yellow hair somehow manages to work well with his skin tone. But Yeonjun is nice—kindhearted, really, takes care of his own space and sometimes Soobin’s, too, in the same way Soobin is perfectly willing to do for him. They don’t get off on a rocky start, which is what he’d secretly feared. They get along well, actually—as well as can be for two people who have just met.

When Yeonjun off-handedly mentions that he’s gay over a cup of tea at the kitchen countertop, Soobin doesn’t mind, or particularly care. Not that he’s really experimented with his own sexuality, because he’s never really cared about that, either. Most of his friends are LGBT in some way. Beomgyu and Taehyun have been dating since high school, and Kai is comfortably bisexual, and all of his girl friends—Heejin, and Hyunjin, and Chaewon—are proudly out lesbians. He isn’t sure how he made it into the GPC (Gay People’s Club, according to Beomgyu and thoroughly debunked by Taehyun) when he himself is straight, but still. It doesn’t bother him in the slightest.

“You’re not…?” Yeonjun trails off, eyeing him over the rim of his teacup. The strong scent of mint wafts over and thoroughly covers the scent of his own over-sweetened tea.

Soobin gives him a blank look. “I’m not… what, hyung?”

“Yanno,” the older boy drawls, waving his free hand around as he sips his tea. The clatter of porcelain against granite is loud in the silence. “Do you draw your lines a lil’ squiggly or nah?”

“That,” Soobin laughs, “is the _weirdest_ way to ask someone if they’re gay, hyung.” Then he pauses. “But no, I’m not.”

“I see,” Yeonjun hums, fingers tapping out some unknown rhythm on the table. “That’s cool.”

“Yeah,” Soobin says, finding he has to plaster an awkward smile onto his face. It’s the most offset he’s felt by Yeonjun thus far. “It’s chill.”

Then Yeonjun suggests they play Mario Kart, and the moment washes away.

So, yeah. It’s fine. They mind their business and get along on a shallow level. It’s totally fine, until it isn’t.

  
  


Some context, first: Soobin and Yeonjun are complete opposites.

There are similarities in behaviors, like the way they both take on a more diplomatic nature in most social situations. But where Soobin is all soft edges and a slow-moving, lazy spirit, his literature major allowing him to mellow out, Yeonjun is sharp lines and motivation to succeed born out of a spirit so competitive it sets Soobin off, but not in a bad way.

Philosophical shit aside, Yeonjun works as a part-time fitness trainer. This, unfortunately(?), means he has… _way_ too much energy to expend. And with all that extra energy comes, apparently, a need for a good, quick stress outlet.

Yeonjun doesn’t actually start bringing people home for months into the new semester, to which Soobin is very appreciative. They hang out way more than expected before that—going to noraebangs and ice cream shops and even a cat cafe, once (Yeonjun found the nearest orange tabby cat just to crouch down next to her and say, “Look, it’s me!”, and Soobin had to literally choke back tears of laughter). But when the older boy starts bringing people home… well.

He’s always kind enough to pull his strings whenever Soobin isn’t around: when he’s at work, or class, or hanging out with a friend. But there are pockets of time where Yeonjun overestimates or underestimates his schedule, and so they overlap. Like this morning, Soobin thinks sullenly when he wakes up at _eight in the morning_ to the telltale noise of a bedframe hitting the wall rhythmically, and all he can do is groan into his pillow.

“Respect his space,” Soobin mutters under his breath as he sits up and runs a hand through his hair, fumbling blindly for his earbuds to blast the loudest classical music he can find. Even the loud thrum of violin strings isn’t enough to completely cover the noises, but Soobin does his best to block it out anyway.

What he’s confused about is why Yeonjun feels the need to have sex at eight in the morning. He knows his hyung likes to wake up nice and early for a morning jog—and has had to put up with many days of the older boy attempting to pester him into giving it a try, to which Soobin always refuses because he would _never_ do that to himself—but this… is a bit much. It sours his mood instantly as he makes coffee, though he’s courteous enough to make three cups for him, Yeonjun, and whoever he’s decided to bring home today.

They must have done things together last night too, Soobin thinks sullenly. He’d passed out at nine PM after finishing his homework early for once and had apparently not been privy to anything Yeonjun could have been doing. He’s so in his head that he doesn’t even realize the noises have stopped, and the apartment goes quiet, and then Yeonjun opens his bedroom door—

He’s shirtless, is the first thing Soobin notices, abs and tan, toned skin on full display for Soobin to silently lose his mind over. His blonde hair is sex-tousled as he runs a hand through it, and his sweatpants are hanging low on his hips. Soobin can do nothing but squeak as Yeonjun makes eye contact with him, before his brows furrow.

“Oh, um,” he says, wincing in realization. “You’re not normally awake this early. Did we—?”

“Yeah,” Soobin says, his voice still terribly high-pitched.

“Give me a second,” Yeonjun mutters as he steps back inside and closes the door.

When Yeonjun steps back out of his room, it’s with a shirt this time and another guy in tow. This one’s short, with long-ish, wavy parted black hair and terrifyingly perfect features—great nose, nice lips, long eyelashes, and Soobin—

He scowls when he notices the way their fingers are tangled together, and the way-too-obvious dark mark on the black-haired boy’s neck. “Hey, hyung,” he says, turning away to close the fridge door with his foot. If he toes the door over with a little too much force, that’s no one’s business but his.

“Hey,” Yeonjun drawls, smiling at Soobin. “This is Wooyoung. Wooyoung, this is Soobin. Um… sorry for waking you up.”

“It’s fine,” Soobin grits out, inwardly screaming when Wooyoung grins at him. _God_ , he’s got a smile so nice it somehow infuriates him. _What’s happening?_

He hasn’t really met a lot of Yeonjun’s hook-ups—he knows Changbin, a shorter, muscular guy who honestly is so sweet that Soobin could never be annoyed at him for anything, and San, a wily dance major friend of Yeonjun’s who flirted with Soobin so much the morning after his first hook-up with Yeonjun that Soobin was unsure of who he was trying to seduce in the first place. But Wooyoung is objectively beautiful in a way that makes Soobin want to stare at himself in a mirror for long enough to give him features as dainty as his, and it makes him… annoyed, that Yeonjun has such a good taste in FWBs.

“Oh, coffee?” Wooyoung says, eyes lighting up as they land on the cup sitting next to the machine. “Thanks!”

“Yeah,” Soobin says sourly. Yeonjun sits next to Wooyoung on their barstools, leaving Soobin to stand and nurse his cup of coffee awkwardly. He doesn’t even know why he’s drinking coffee, because he prefers tea, and somehow this only annoys him further.

“So,” Yeonjun says after a moment, clearly keen on attempting conversation. “Before Wooyoung says it, I should tell you that I’ve told him a lot about you.”

“He has,” Wooyoung snickers, and Soobin flushes.

“Oh. Thanks?” He mutters, brushing his hair away from his eyes. 

“Yeah,” Wooyoung says, sipping his coffee nonchalantly. “I suggested a threesome, but for some reason he wouldn’t let me.”

“ _Wooyoung_ ,” Yeonjun hisses, punching his friend’s arm, and Soobin doesn’t quite know how to name the mix of feelings surfacing in his chest. “Soobin’s straight, don’t make him uncomfortable.”

He doesn’t know why everything is apparently setting him on edge today, but this doesn’t help. “I’m not uncomfortable,” Soobin asserts before Wooyoung can respond, leaving the both of them to stare at him. “It’s not a big deal to me.”

“Oh,” Yeonjun says slowly. “Okay.”

“See?” Wooyoung pouts. “It totally would have worked out!” He winks at Soobin, who tries to will away the furious blush and fails miserably when he feels his face with a hand. “You’re, like, super handsome. Any man’s dream, really.”

Soobin covers his face, mortified, as Wooyoung laughs. “Dude, back off,” he hears Yeonjun hiss.

“Sorry, sorry. He’s your boy toy, and all that,” Wooyoung says easily, smirking at Yeonjun—whose face is turning red too, which is weird. The air in the apartment is suddenly stifling, and Soobin gets the sense he’s missing out on something he should probably know.

“Get out of my apartment,” Yeonjun mutters, and Wooyoung laughs good-naturedly as he leans over to give Yeonjun a quick kiss on the cheek. And _oh_ , that makes something in Soobin absolutely furious, rearing its head so suddenly it makes him feel a little sick to the stomach.

And it’s only after Wooyoung is gone and Yeonjun’s closed the door, turning to Soobin with apologies on the tip of his tongue, that Soobin relaxes fully again. “It’s okay, hyung,” he says immediately. Yeonjun drags him into a hug, and Soobin thinks, _huh, w_ _eird_ , at the lack of mortification at the feeling.

There’s really only one conclusion he can come to, and it terrifies him.

  
  


“Beomgyu,” Soobin says as soon as the younger boy slides into the booth across from him with a cup of hot cocoa. “I… I think I’m homophobic.”

Beomgyu gives him a long, slow blink. “... Homophobic,” he says flatly.

Soobin wrings his hands together. “Um, yeah.”

Beomgyu nods. “Wow, absolutely. I can totally tell. You always gag when I’m with Taehyunie—”

“Beomgyu—” Soobin tries to protest.

“—And I just _know_ you’ve despised Kai since he came out to you. He just makes you want to throw up.”

Soobin glares. “That’s not what I meant—”

“Well, what do you mean, then?” Beomgyu says dryly. “What, is it Heejin noona? Was _she_ the crack in your straight-but-an-ally facade?” then he reaches across the table to flick Soobin’s forehead much harder than necessary, and Soobin yelps as he says, “Hyung, are you fucking crazy? There’s no way you’re homophobic.”

Soobin sighs. “That’s not what I was trying to say. You guys are fine. It’s just—”

“You can’t be selectively homophobic,” Beomgyu interjects with a knowing look.

Soobin groans, dropping his face into his hands. “But I don’t know how else to explain this,” he grits out. 

“Explain what?” Beomgyu asks curiously. And then, because his best friend is nothing if not worrying receptive of every thought and feeling Soobin experiences—“Is this about Yeonjun hyung?”

Soobin squeaks. “Haha, _whaaat?_ ”

“Hyung,” Beomgyu says flatly, and Soobin winces.

“Okay, okay,” he sighs, shaking his head. “It kind of is about hyung. It’s just—um, I get so… _bothered_ when he brings other people home. It seriously pisses me off for some reason, and it makes me feel bad because I _want_ to support him in his endeavors but I also just feel… angry, and annoyed.”

“Have you considered the fact that you could be annoyed because Yeonjun hyung sometimes does it while you’re in the apartment?” Beomgyu asks, tilting his head to the side.

“Yeah,” Soobin says sourly. “But it’s more than that. It’s like… even _thinking_ about it whenever Yeonjun hyung is out of the house late at night makes me want to jump out of my window.”

“Defenestration is not the answer,” Beomgyu says sagely, before cracking a grin. “I think I got you, though. I have a question to ask.”

“Go ahead,” Soobin says warily.

“When Taehyun and I were dancing around each other back in high school,” Beomgyu asks curiously, “did you ever feel _weird?_ Or angry? Did you ever want to impulsively defenestrate whenever I was over at your place rambling about how cute he was?”

Soobin thinks about it. “... No, not really.”

Beomgyu sighs, shaking his head. “How can you not see what’s right in front of you, hyung? You’re not homophobic at all, you just have a crush on Yeonjun hyung.”

Soobin winces. That definitely isn’t what he wanted to hear from this. “B-but—I’m—”

“You, Choi Soobin,” Beomgyu says very, very seriously, “are _not_ straight. Not in the _slightest_. And I know it wouldn’t bother you to be not-straight, or whatever label you’re gonna put on yourself, but you seriously can’t call me to a coffee shop while Yeonjun hyung’s out—oh, and I had to skip out on a date with Taehyunie for this, by the way, so you’d _better_ be grateful—just to look me in the eye and tell me that the only reasonable conclusion you can come up with for being annoyed that your hot friend keeps bringing other guys home is that you’re _homophobic_. Dude. You really can’t be this dumb. I know you hate math and all, but _please_ put two and two together.”

“You’re so disrespectful,” Soobin mutters, but he takes the words into consideration anyway. He knows he’s never really considered his own sexuality, but that’s only because he hasn’t really taken the time to pursue or be pursued by anyone, always content to watch his friends be romantic with each other on the sidelines. But he thinks about Yeonjun being romantic with him—and the very vivid image of Yeonjun pressing him up against the kitchen counter pops into his head out of nowhere, which. Well.

“Um,” Soobin squeaks.

“Get out of your sex fantasy and pay attention to me,” Beomgyu says dryly, and Soobin nearly tips his cup over in mortification.

“It wasn’t—I wasn’t even—” he stammers. Beomgyu gives him a deadpan look, and he groans. “We’re getting off-track here. Okay, let’s say I do, um… have a crush on Yeonjun hyung. What then?”

“You tell him,” Beomgyu says simply, sipping his hot cocoa.

Soobin stares. “Sorry, not gonna happen. I’m giving my gay card back to you, you can keep it and I can stay the token straight—”

“Dude,” Beomgyu laughs, shaking his head. “I’m not _giving_ you your gay card. It’s already yours, and it’s way too late if you felt like you needed to have a discussion about your so-called homophobia for your sexy roommate. Just accept it: he’s sexy, and you are _nothing_ if not a man who thinks with his dick like the rest of us.”

Soobin thinks very deeply about the boner he had to will away in his room after Wooyoung had left over the ridiculously vivid image of Shirtless Yeonjun and groans, dropping his face into his hands. “But I don’t _want_ to think with my dick. I wanna think with my brain.”

“Honestly bold of you to assume you actually have one in that hollow skull of yours,” Beomgyu insults casually, and Soobin looks up to glare at him. “Oh, please. You know I’m kidding. But, hyung—be real, okay? You two are always super domestic with each other, it’s cute. Taehyun once asked me if you guys were dating and if that’s why you moved in with each other so suddenly, and I had to tell him you were straight.” He shakes his head in awe. “I really can’t believe _Taehyun_ came out before you did.”

“Shut up,” Soobin whines. He’s aware of how domestic he and Yeonjun are, because they comment on it constantly themselves. He realizes that _everything_ they’ve been doing in recent months entails playing cat and mouse, except the cat is Yeonjun and the mouse is Soobin’s Haha Hyung, I’m Straight mentality, and he—feels honestly stupid. 

It was so _obvious_ , he thinks in awe now. “I’m stupid,” he whispers.

“You can’t say these things and honestly expect me not to agree with you,” Beomgyu says, and then he reaches out to pat Soobin’s head kindly, if not with a condescending air to him. “Listen, things would go a million times better if you could be open about this with Yeonjun as soon as possible. I mean, the man practically hangs off of you, hyung. I don’t think he would reject you if you told him you liked him.”

“But he doesn’t even know I like—that I—”

“You can say you like guys, it’s just me,” Beomgyu laughs. And then his eyes soften, and he raises an eyebrow at Soobin. “All you have to do is tell him. He’s already gay, it isn’t like he won’t accept you.”

Several scenarios run through Soobin’s brain, the most vivid of which being the mere idea that Yeonjun would be like _Dude, there’s_ no _way you like guys, you’re the straightest person I know_. It makes Soobin want to shrink away, though he tries to shake it off. Yeonjun is a sweetheart, and Soobin means this seriously—his roommate is kind, and receptive, and open.

“You can always text him about it if you’re feeling too afraid to talk about it with him one-on-one,” Beomgyu points out.

“A coming out through text?” Soobin asks, wincing.

Beomgyu gives him a sympathetic smile. “Hey, just because I came out by standing on a cafeteria table with a pride flag wrapped around me in high school doesn't mean every single coming out has to be super dramatic, _especially_ when you're a bit of a shier person than me, you know? So take your time and use whatever method you want to let him know.”

Soobin puts his face in his hands. “And then I'll have to tell him I have a sort-of-crush on him,” he mutters into his palms.

“Definitely not just a sort-of-crush, but okay,” Beomgyu says with a grin clear in his voice, and Soobin groans.

`hyung`, he texts shyly after he gets home, knowing Yeonjun is attempting to study at the library and also conveniently knowing he's probably just fucking around on his phone, `can I talk to you about something?`

Predictably enough, Yeonjun responds almost instantly. `of course!! what do you want to talk about?`

Soobin's heart is in his throat. He supposes he should just cut to the chase, running a hand through his hair as he stares down at his phone in the kitchen. `i... think i like guys.`

The message reads _read_ for a full mortifying, anxious minute before Soobin gets a response, which terrifies him. `oh!`, is what Yeonjun says. `when did you figure this out???`

`um`, Soobin texts back. `today? I figured it out today. is that weird?`

`nah of course not. you have all the time in the world to figure yourself out. do you only like guys, or...?`

`I'm pretty sure I'm bisexual`, Soobin types. Yeah, that sounds right.

`aw that's cool!!` Yeonjun says. `i'm so glad you feel comfortable telling me this^^ this means we can talk about cute guys now ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ`

And that... makes Soboin scowl before he even registers the words, which really, he thinks, only serves to further prove Beomgyu's earlier point. Intstead of saying `you're the only cute guy i want to talk about, hyung`, though, he sucks his teeth and then says, `ㅋㅋ sure`, effectively leaving this conversation for another day.

The Inevitable Confrontation happens mostly on accident.

The thing is, Yeonjun takes Soobin’s coming-out with a kind of nonchalance that likely comes with being on the receiving end of people’s gay realizations more often than most (Which, Soobin can’t exactly blame them, because if you don’t realize you like guys as soon as you look at Yeonjun, then _what_ is the point, really?). While Soobin is grateful—he doesn’t think a shocked reaction would really make him feel good about himself—it also leaves little opening for conversation about the elephant in the room, the elephant being: _well, what now?_

Because it’s true that Yeonjun and Soobin are ridiculously, disgustingly domestic with each other, and Soobin is fairly sure their lighthearted banter can be counted as flirting. But Soobin also has absolutely no idea how to approach his newfound crush without Yeonjun nudging him through that door, and hard.

“You’re staring,” Yeonjun says in a singsong tone, and Soobin breaks his gaze away with a grimace as he comes back to reality and realizes Yeonjun is shirtless again. Not like Yeonjun doesn’t normally walk around shirtless anyway, but since Soobin’s realized his predicament… well. It’s been difficult to ignore.

“Sorry, hyung,” he mutters.

Yeonjun laughs. “Don’t apologize, Soobin. Like what you see, though?”

Yeonjun turns around to grab his gray t-shirt off of where it’s draped over a chair, and Soobin’s eyes slide back to him. He regrets it almost instantly. Leave it to Choi Yeonjun to somehow have a sexy back. “Um,” he mumbles, clearing his throat. “Y-you look good, hyung.”

“Aw, thank you,” Yeonjun coos with a grin as he turns back around to face him. “You look pretty dashing yourself.”

Which, predictably, makes Soobin nearly choke on saliva, and Yeonjun, _predictably_ , bursts into giggles at the sight. “You can't just say things like that, hyung,” Soobin says shyly, resisting the urge to cover his face.

“But you're just so cute,” Yeonjun says innocently. “What am I supposed to do, hm?”

And honestly, Yeonjun says things like this so often that Soobin is starting to wonder how the effect it has on him hasn't watered itself down from overusage, but he still finds himself blushing as he pouts and looks away. “Stop being such a flirt,” he mutters under his breath.

“What was that?” Yeonjun asks, humming as he takes his phone out of its charger.

“Stop being such a flirt,” Soobin repeats, deadpan. “Also, please take the charger out of the plug.”

“So bossy,” Yeonjun jokes even as he listens. “Also, it's my _job_ to be a flirt, Soobin. Especially with you.”

Soobin pauses, taking a moment to register the older boy's words before he blinks up at him confusedly. “Especially with me?”

“Yeah,” Yeonjun says casually, coming around the couch to where Soobin is sitting and attempting to study just to ruffle his hair cutely. “You're fun to tease! Look at you now, you're a literal tomato. It's so cute, Soobinie.”

He says the last sentence with fingers pinched around Soobin's cheek, stretching it as he coos, and Soobin just _knows_ he can feel how red his face is. “ _Hyung_ , stop that,” he groans, and Yeonjun laughs.

“Sorry, sorry.” The older boy's grinning when Soobin risks a look up at him. “You're just endearing.”

Some childish piece of Soobin rears its head, and he thinks, _I don't want to be just endearing to you_. “Whatever you say,” he mutters instead. “Are you going out on another jog?”

“You know it!” Yeonjun says, grabbing his Airpods. “Wooyoung and I are gonna go running for a bit, and then we'll hit the gym. I'll probably be back around... midnight?” He winks at Soobin when he wrinkles his nose. “Oh, you know how it is.”

“Wooyoung hyung was the guy you brought over... that one time, right?” Soobin asks warily. Of course he knows who Wooyoung is, he just... doesn't want to let Yeonjun go so soon, or something. He doesn't know how this crush stuff works, really. “Do you guys jog together a lot?”

Yeonjun hums. “Yeah, we do. We met each other through a blind date, though.”

Soobin hopes the way he's gritting his teeth isn't _too_ obvious. “Blind... date?”

Yeonjun smiles like he isn't causing Soobin intense inner turmoil. “Yeah, blind date. It was a few months back, but honestly, once we hit it off—”

“Hyung,” Soobin interjects, sucking his teeth and narrowing his eyes, “do you have a crush on Wooyoung hyung?”

Yeonjun tilts his head to the side. “Where did you get that from?”

“I'm just asking,” Soobin says stiffly. He sets his textbook off to the side, giving up on studying completely. “Do you like him? You spend a lot of time together.”

Yeonjun _finally_ seems to catch up with Soobin's one-sided tension, squinting as sets his water bottle down on the countertop. “Uh... what does that have to do with anything?”

“Hyung, it's a yes or no question,” Soobin sighs, and Yeonjun raises an eyebrow.

“Well, would it bother you if I did?” He asks evasively.

“Would your answer potentially bothering me change how you feel?” Soobin shoots back.

Yeonjun stares at him, gaze unreadable and jaw set. “No, it wouldn't,” he says after a moment.

Soobin bites his lip, looking down. He can already feel Yeonjun's confession of being in like with Wooyoung and his therefore subsequent rejection of Soobin on the tip of the older boy's tongue, and he doesn't want to get into it. A part of him wants to detach and withdraw like he typically does with most situations, but he thinks he has to know. “So... it's a yes?”

Yeonjun stares at him for a few more moments, tension thick in the air before he scoffs, and then snorts, and then pinches the bridge of his nose. “Soobin, are you _stupid?_ Genuinely asking for a friend. Just kidding,” he interjects when Soobin makes to reply, “it's not for a friend, it's for me. I'm asking for me.”

Soobin's mouth drops open. “Hyung, what the hell?”

“No, 'cause seriously,” Yeonjun continues, shaking his head like he's in awe of Soobin's apparent stupidity as he leans across the countertop. “You'd _think_ that, like. Someone you're living with would be able to pick up on all of your hints. You know? Objectively speaking.”

Soobin furrows his eyebrows, legitimately confused. “... What's all this about, hyung? You haven't even answered my question—”

“My _god_ , Soobinie,” Yeonjun says exasperatedly. “You really need me to give you a straight—whoops, pun unintended—a straight response, don't you? Like I haven't been _trying_ to imply that fuck _no_ , actually, I _don't_ have a crush on Wooyoung, or Changbin or San, I have a crush on _you!_ And I've had a crush on you since, like, two weeks after we moved in together!”

Soobin is suddenly glad he's sitting down, because if he were standing he's fairly sure he'd be drifting to the ground right now like something straight out of a romantic comedy cartoon. “Uh,” he says, like an idiot.

“My cute idiot,” Yeonjun says sweetly, almost mockingly, and Soobin winces when he realizes he'd called himself an idiot out loud. “Now tell me, right now. Choi Soobin, do you have a crush on me?”

“U-um,” Soobin stutters. “Well, I... that's all relative, right? So, like, from a subjective viewpoint—”

Yeonjun cuts him off with a snort, standing up fully again and walking towards him. There's that sharp look in his eyes that Soobin has only ever seen directed at other people, and it pins him to the couch like a tangible thing. “Choi Soobin,” he says again, slowly, voice all soft and quiet, and Soobin gulps. “Do you have a crush on me? We don't have all day.”

“Yes I do,” Soobin says hoarsely, and he isn't even able to take a full breath in because Yeonjun's practically pounced on him.

Here is the thing, among other things: Soobin is a college student, and yet his kissing experience is less than noteworthy. He's _done it_ , yeah, and he's gone all the way, sure, but something about the way Yeonjun presses their mouths together, bending over awkwardly and _still_ somehow giving Soobin the full press of his lips, makes Soobin's brain spark out and then go empty like it’s his first time all over again.

He settles his hands on Yeonjun's waist like an anchor while the older boy makes a soft noise, pressing closer to him until Soobin's pressed back against the cushions, and Yeonjun's made a home in his lap, legs caged around his hips, and he's nipping softly at Soobin's bottom lip, and Soobin—he can't do much else than kiss back, something euphoric blooming in his chest.

“Tell me when you realized,” Yeonjun breathes when he pulls away. He's holding Soobin's face in his hands, squishing his cheeks together a little as he peppers kisses all over his nose and forehead, and Soobin feels almost overwhelmed by the fondness of each action. 

“When I had a crush on you?” Soobin asks dumbly, squeaking when Yeonjun pinches his cheek by way of reply. “U-um. It was... a sort of package deal, with realizing I like guys.” He pauses. “I'm really glad you took it lightly, hyung.”

“Well, yeah, that was a given,” Yeonjun laughs breathlessly, brushing their noses together. “Dude, I thought you liked guys from the fucking get-go. Like, I asked out of courtesy, and literally did not know what to do when you were like, _No, not really_ —so I wasn't exactly surprised. Kinda sucked to deal with an unrequited crush, but that was a given.”

Soobin swallows thickly. “B-but... hyung. The other guys?”

Yeonjun laughs. “Brought them home on purpose,” he murmurs, diving in for another long kiss that has Soobin feeling dizzy. “They knew about it, of course. I did it on purpose because I was trying to rile you up, but _clearly_ —”

“—Oh my god, I really thought you had a crush on Wooyoung hyung,” Soobin groans, and Yeonjun shakes his head amusedly. “I'm sorry for being weird about it, hyung.”

“Mm, doesn't matter, as long as you realize it now I literally do not care,” Yeonjun says easily. Then he pulls back enough so that Soobin can look at him without going cross-eyed, and raises an eyebrow. “Did you think about me, though?”

Soobin's mouth goes dry. “Um... how so?”

Yeonjun snorts. “While I was fucking them, Soobin. Did you ever think about me?”

And Soobin somehow finds it in him to blush. “Wh—hyung, o-of course I did. But that's _embarrassing_.”

“God, you're so cute,” Yeonjun breathes. “You'll be my boyfriend, right? We don't need to keep dancing around each other like this?”

He looks genuinely curious, as if everything they've done up to this point hasn't practically screamed Future Relationship. Soobin runs a hand up the line of his waist and shoulder until he's cupping the older boy's cheek, breath catching in his throat as he leans into the contact. “Of course,” he breathes. “I wanna. With you.”

“Thank fucking hell,” Yeonjun laughs. “I'm going to teach you _so much_.”

And Soobin _would_ be flustered, but he finds it's hard to think with Yeonjun's lips on his.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed this fucking mess. comments and kudos are always appreciated! a comment a day keeps an author (me) (i'm the author, and also all authors REALLY appreciate comments please feed us) alive!!
> 
> [twitter!](https://twitter.com/9thstellium)


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